


And Formal it Goes

by JJJotun



Series: Prime Stories [2]
Category: Transformers: Prime
Genre: Angst, Egg Laying, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Infertility, Overloading, Oviposition
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:41:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26623822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JJJotun/pseuds/JJJotun
Summary: Airachnid is missing. Knock Out is ordered to find her.
Series: Prime Stories [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2003563
Kudos: 21





	And Formal it Goes

**Author's Note:**

> Happy spooks month everyone! I don't think this story is scary but I might make something for the holiday
> 
> I like Airachnid, so I'm gonna give her the Starscream treatment (sorry Airachnid)  
> It is under my obligation to show my love for certain characters by making them go through very bad things
> 
> This is my first time writing egg/mechpreg so I apologize if its not proficient, but thank you for reading anyhow!

It had been twelve hours since Airachnid was last reported on the Nemesis.

Surely, that wouldn't have been a problem, people come and go as they please within their ranking. Extending a lunch break for a bit was nothing to be concerned of, _surely_ it wouldn't have been a problem if someone were too up and leave and cause no more problems.

_Surely,_ he naively thought at first. Unfortunately for Knock Out, their warlord did not feel the same way.

Everyone was out, everyone important that is; defending an extraordinarily good mine that had kept them sated for a long while. The Autobots were persistent, if he'd guess right then they were probably fighting in total desperation. He couldn't help but feel bad for poor Breakdown and the others that were sent off to war, Knock Out was lucky to not be apart of the quarrel..

Though, not so lucky to have to stay and follow Megatron's questionable orders.

_"Find her"_

He made a face, regretting it instantly after seeing Megatron's irritation at his lax. Somehow, the tyrant took it as an opportunity to convince, despite his orders already being absolute.

_"Airachnid's skill under the Earth's surface will be of most use in this skirmish. That is, if you can obtain her in time."_

That last part sounded like a threat, a minor one at least. By now, the battle would have exhausted itself, that particular reason wasn't so just. Megatron's paranoia must have finally been catching up to him, and Knock Out hated to admit that he didn't blame him.

Airachnid was, in summary, a Decepticon. Ironic for him to say it, but the spider freaked him out for that same reason. She was cunning and traitorous, and very attractive, the same ideas that applied to their lovable and annoying commander. The only difference being was that Airachnid knew what she was doing.

It felt as if every move was calculated, precise in a way that mechanical error could not compute. The way she watched you, from afar or up close, as if she was registering your character into a data-bank with point blank precision. 

His commander was cunning, but stupid. Sheer dumb luck and insanity of suspicion had been keeping him alive for so long, but Airachnid was around because of her intellect and ruthless decision-making. He knew nothing about the spiderbot's past but he was unsure he wanted to find out.

Megatron was dissatisfied with Knock Out's presentation, growling angrily as he folded his hands behind his back.

_"What are you standing around for? Go and find that insect!"_

"Y-yes my liege."

He hated the way he stuttered, Megatron probably would have enjoyed it, but instead sighed and turned back to the command console. He learned to stop arguing with orders, especially if the big guy wasn't in a good mood, like today. Watching a losing battle would definitely make his screws tighten up.

It was a good walk and elevator ride to get to the Spacebridge, why they had to place them on opposite sides of the ship baffled him. Though, he couldn't mock the aesthetic appeal of the symmetry it provided.

_Last coordinates_ … the logs of course showed the Spacebridge being used to send troops to battle, that isn't what he desired. He scrolled through the logs, hoping to get around the time Airachnid was last seen.

It took a while, smirking as Knock Out found a suspicious entry in the usage data. It was bundled up close to a bunch of others, which he assumed were ground patrols heading off to mines. One stuck out from the others, because he knew that the mine in that location had already been cleansed of Energon.

_Eureka._ Airachnid must have been trying to be sneaky, to bad he figured it out in a klik. It felt unusually easy for her, he hoped it wasn't some kind of trap. Waiting for over twelve hours did seem kind of ridiculous, but it wasn't beyond the femme in his optics.

He emptily wondered why she might've left as the bridge booted up, spinning in dashing colours as it closed behind him.

  
  


-

  
  


It was beginning to get dark out, the Earth's sun already set as cold blues and grays took over the starless night sky.

Cold was the word to describe how he felt right now. A forest, hardly any undergrowth as extreme trees towered over him. It was the worst possible sensation of being in the middle of nowhere while not feeling alone.

Shivering, Knock Out turned on his headlights, a booming flash reverberated through the silent forest. He watched as a small fauna ran away after seeing the light, reassuring him a little that things would be alright.

Sighing shakily, he tried to brush his fears away and started to walk forward. He pulled up a low-range scanner from his subspace, plucking up the humorous antenna and booted it up. They weren't very practical due to their incredibly short visibility, but the scanner had focussed power to tracking, even high quality dampeners would have trouble laying undetected.

If, and only if she didn't get very far, whatever her plans might've been. Knock Out strutted slowly towards the abandoned mine, mechanical memory taking over as he observed the screen in his palm. It was taking a long time to load, almost convincing the medic that Airachnid was nowhere to be found.

He hit the side of the scanner in agitation, optics adjusting to the night finally. Despite that, he did not feel safe turning off his bleeding lights.

In fact, the whole situation was jarring to say the least. If he felt mildly uncomfortable going anywhere alone with Megatron, then being in the woods with no backup while knowing that the spider was prowling about, terrified him to no end. He might've been prideful, but he was willing to admit to his fears very openly. And Airachnid was most definitely one of them.

His eyes widened a bit, watching as a spark signature bleeped on the radar, coming from the exact mine he was heading.

_Huh,_ he thought. That was a bit obvious of a hiding spot. Knock Out knew of her handy drilling technique, but with the dubious webbing she sprayed, would have preferred the opportunities the trees brought. It eased him a little, but it meant that he would have to go into the cave, alone.

He swallowed sharply, arriving at the entrance of the cave, rotting planks of wood and piles of ore sat limply next to the cavern. It had been a while since they excavated the place, happened before their warlord went on his dark Energon induced trip. The chance of ever scrapping up even a particle of blue gold was close to none, the mine was stripped completely.

Airachnid would have known that, she probably already swooned Soundwave into relaying every single one of their secrets tenfold. So why was she here? Knock Out found it difficult to come up with a witty answer.

_Only one way to find out._ He thought stupidly, venting deeply as he finally step pede into the emptied Energon catacombs.

It was dark, darker than the gloomy cloudy night. If it weren't for his headlights or nightvision, would stumble aimlessly and possibly scratch his finish at every movement. The idea made him more conscious of his lustrous paint coat, keeping watch of every rock jutting out or misplaced stone.

The scanner said she was nearby, and the little dot hadn't moved a pixel since it booted. His spark spun faster as he drew near, extremely unsure and fearful of whatever horrors would come next.

Cold and panicking, he reached a clearing in the mine. The ceiling was nice and wide, old Energon storage containers were left lying about carelessly. There were many forks and diversions sprouting out of the room, acting as a sort of hub. According to the scanner, she was in a side-off, very close by.

He cleared his windpipe, adrenaline pumping through his Energon desperately.

"Eh- Airachnid?"

Somehow the room felt even colder than before, no response.

"Come on now, I know you're here."

It was extremely unconvincing, being reminded of that as he was met with more silence. Creepy. He hated where this was going, vents catching every now and again as he pointed his lights to the cavern that Airachnid stow.

Inhaling harshly, Knock Out stumbled slightly over to that indent in the cave wall. He loathed how dusty and dirt ridden the stone floor had become, but he hardly pay any attention to his tipped feet getting mucked. For once, his arrogance couldn't topple his unbridled fear. 

He made it, tripping over rocks in the process. Pushing his tolerance for these unsettling situations, peered into the stony room with a hand gripping a hard ledge, almost for some sort of insurance.

"Gah!"

Instantly the reaction was gasped out, despite expecting the person awaiting on the inside. Jumping back embarrassingly, his eyes widened after realizing that Airachnid was just, sitting there.

No, she wasn't _really_ sitting down. Knock Out observed carefully, still ready to jump at the slightest movement. Her spindly spider legs were digging into the dirt, knees touching at how far they bent around her. Noticing that was second to the horrifying mean look he received.

The headlights blared against her black body irritatingly, Knock out assumed it was more annoying for the femme as she was the one facing the blinding things. She looked like a wild animal.

_" Get. Out. "_

She rasped out, sounding both angry and a little tired, teeth bared to show off upset fangs. Knock Out's fears started to subside, he didn't really understand why, but it was for the best. She clearly looked to be in pain.

Firstly, he turned off the headlights, letting his night vision take over. Airachnid didn't budge, holding still as a statue. The medic took it as an opportunity to get closer, paying attention to how she shook just slightly.

"Not until you tell me what you're doing here."

Shivering, the femme stared back, hands clawing the dirt rigidly. She sat kneeling in a small denture in the ground, almost like it was dug out by those same servos.

He frowned, curious and also scared of her pouncing on him if he got too close. Wondering immensely why she was acting so uncoordinated, only for that questioning to be resolved as he saw what she guarded underneath her shaky frame.

The femme crouched down with his footsteps, acting almost ashamed of his knowledge of whatever she guard. 

_Eggs._ Not just a couple, perhaps a dozen of them sat in a pile inside the semi-pit, purple and a bit translucent too. The lowest in the pile starting to obtain a more hardened white-ish coating. They were slick with some substance, Knock Out had a good idea on what it was.

Optics gaping as much as his mouth, he looked back to Airachnid. She knew he knew, appearing visibly distraught and angrier than before, painful shudders erupting throughout her nimble body.

_" I said , get . Out. "_

It probably would've sounded more upset, instead grunting with a huff as her midframe clenched. Knock Out was more shocked than anything else, medical sense rousing back to him with each passing klik.

"W-why did you not alert me you were carrying? That is extremely important information for your medic to know!" He spoke, finally coming to an understanding as to Airachnid's tardy.

Laying eggs was very, _very_ rare among Cybertronians or their otherworldly counterparts. Pit, even giving birth was extremely uncommon, especially after the introduction of assembly lines. He had received some training on how to deliver, but eggs were a whole other basket.

She simply huffed again, a pained groan rumbling in her vocalizer. Kneeling down further, she hissed loudly, Knock Out wasn't sure if it was directed to him or the hurt.

_"N-not carrying.."_

Daring so, he got closer, stepping as quietly and carefully as he could manage. Airachnid seemed to care less now, focussing on that pain in her gut. 

Now being arm's length away, took a knee next to the spider. All he heard as complaint was a growl, and then some. She still was in immense pain, signaling that the clutch wasn't done yet, or perhaps some sort of complication had occurred.

Firstly, he opened one of his many side subspaces, pulling out an emergency repair kit. Airachnid continued eyeing him in suspicion, that scowl never leaving her face. There wasn't much in the kit, a small welder and some homemade quick-fix, some other miscellaneous things. And the item of importance, the vitals scanner.

"How many are left?" He asked calmly, hoping a more professional appearance would make his patient less loathing.

Knock Out didn't expect an answer, it's why he brought out the scanner to accommodate. Airachnid's frown deepened, tucking her fangs back in as she squinted.

_"Three."_

He didn't look up from the monitor, though he did remain surprised at the compliance. She was right, three anomalous objects were within her gestation chamber, one was already in the process of nudging.

Well, from what it looked like on the quick x-ray, her whole lower body seemed to be retrofitted for carrying, as if the gestation chamber enveloped the entirety of her subspaces. Perhaps that's why she had no abdominal bulging, the eggs simply had more places to go.

It raised many questions, ones Knock Out knew he might never get answers too. That wasn't all too important, unless his lust for strange medical knowledge trumped out his patient's welfare. Even this specific patient.

Airachnid groaned and clenched so tightly that it was nearly audible, clearly feeling the next egg pressing against the cervix. Knock Out put the scanner down for a while, digging into his medkit in hopes of finding painkillers.

He sort of succeeded, finding an anesthetic port that was the size of his thumb. Fiddling with its commands to set it to dim, he was about to place it on Airachnid's neck when her hand shot up and grabbed his. He swallowed thickly, fear coming back in waning pulses.

"I-It is just a painkiller patch, it will ease the contracting."

Her optics glistened menacingly, unblinking as if considering. It was a mental battle she lost, letting go of his servo slowly in great suspicion. He sighed, happy his wrist wasn't gutted, and gently put the chip on her neck, clicking into place as the anesthetic was administered. 

In an immediate reaction, Airachnid sighed, probably experiencing some relief. Knock Out wouldn't be able to completely nullify the pain, otherwise her body would forget it was in the middle of something important.

Shuffling a bit in his kneel, he brought the vital scanner back up after seeing that Airachnid was okay for the time being. He understood birthing was a horrifically painful procedure if done naturally, but he wasn't sure about laying. He would assume it hurt less, given the circumstances.

"How much pain are you in?" 

Clicking around with the scanner, the spider gave him an impressively bemoaned look, as if the question was too stupid to answer. Her purple digits dug at the dirt under them, spider legs shaking every now and then.

Sparkrate was, surprisingly normal, for this kind of situation anyway. Core body temperature was slightly elevated, Energon flow was fine, her tank was worryingly low. Her ailments appeared to only be external, and three other internal ones.

_"Yes, it_ did _help."_

Ahh, she found out the meaning already. Knock Out grinned knowing his anesthetic patch worked. He didn't appreciate the snide tone, but asking for more from Airachnid would be his undoing.

He heard another groan, a look of utter defeat erupting on the femme's faceplates, optics flickering rapidly. She must have saw the empathy on his face, and gave a deep scowl.

_"Say anything to Megatron, and your death will be a painful one."_

Knock Out laughed awkwardly, rubbing his fins at the familiarity.

"Why of course. Patient confidentiality is my specialty, you don't hear people talking about Megatron's issue." Airachnid's brow perked through the aching, a bit amused by the statement strangely enough.

_"What issue exactly?"_ Ever searching for blackmail material, he supposed.

"Well, my death would be a painful one if I told you!"

She groaned again, this time in annoyance at his bad joke. Now was probably not a good time to express his humour, but anything was better than the unnerving awkwardness of being present for someone's clutch. And he was a doctor!

Some of Airachnid's spider legs adjusted themselves, pulling her into a better position against her pile, almost defensively. Her head faced towards the ground, eyes connecting with her balled up fists, clawing the dirt like it was her worst enemy.

Knock Out knew it was rude, staring at anyone when their valve was bared, being a medic didn't excuse it. But he couldn't look away no matter how much he willed it so, it was too strange to just ignore, and all the more fascinating.

The time came sooner than he expected, a horribly loud and scratchy huff sounded itself before Airachnid brought one of her spider legs to her mouth and bit down. Her optics rolled back, body clenching and unclenching in rivets as the egg breached the valve rim. Knock Out knew that behaviour intimately.

He expected the sound of the egg joining the others would be a satisfying 'click' , instead it was surprisingly silent, telling him that the shell must harden overtime. Airachnid panted, still biting hard on to her spider leg, Knock Out worried it might snap at her ferocity. She was out of it for a good while, reeling back with her optics shut tight.

Eventually, her lips left the munched leg alone, venting from her intake to accompany the rest. Knock Out jumped back when Airachnid laid her eyes on him, looking both smug and tired. He didn't even realize how much he was staring, unfortunate for him that the femme did.

_"What? Never seen a femme overload before? I never took you for a prude, medic."_

Ahh. That confirmed it, he was a little unsure of whether or not those reactions were telling the truth or not. The context only made him more confused.

He cleared his windpipe, completely unsure as Airachnid recovered in deep striding breathes. There were so many questions he wanted to ask, so many things that broke his already non-existent bedside manner, it felt as if they rolled off his tongue without ever speaking. It punched at his vents with hoarse.

"Ahh, ahem, if I may incur-" 

_"-I imagine you were never taught the complexities of egg spawn among Cybertronians?"_

It sounded smug of course, but it came off as more of an observation on Knock Out's part. That was quite true, he'd only ever heard of the practise through textlogs and the occasional banter. The notion that he the medic didn't know anything about it put him on edge.

He heard a humoured scoff come from the spider, humiliation rousing from her as she contemplated.

_"-contracts for each egg, it gets easier. Overloads after a lay to ease the way for the next."_

Knock Out felt the intricate way his face scrunched at the thought. Contractions for each egg? That was just a poor design choice in his professional opinion. Though overloading sounded nice, even through a process such as this one.

Airachnid groaned once more, giving the warning that her short reprieve was now over. He used it as the time to bring his scanner back out and check if anything had changed. 

The femme's little vocalizations echoed in the now damp cave, choking herself off to talk to her medic once more.

_"Y-You're going to be here a while…"_

Knock Out simply looked at her with interest and some pity.

"That is fine with me."

It took little over an hour for the last two eggs to emerge, Airachnid was more tired and had some difficulty continuing, but otherwise made it out perfectly fine.

She had been more vocal on the second egg, seeming to be more comfortable with Knock Out's presence and more okay with the embarrassing notion of weakness. He had to hold her upright on the next after that. There were many bite marks all across her spider legs once she was completed.

Shivering and panting, Airachnid's presentation was laughable, but he wasn't the type to mock it. She did not cry, or shed any tears for that matter, they might've alright dried before he got there. It was anything from the cold and brutal Decepticon they'd all come to hate on the Nemesis. It was, bizarre. She was bizarre.

Knock Out was about to fill the silence, only to see Airachnid unpinch her legs from the ground, repositioning. She started cusping her digits together, burrowing them into the ground and digging, covering the eggs in earth. He was startled greatly, optics transitioning to her emotionless face to the eggs and to her valve.

"W-What are you doing?"

All he received was a cryptic look and message, Airachnid otherwise not stopping in what she was pursuing.

_"What does it look like I'm doing?"_

"But, but why bury the eggs? Shouldn't you put them in an incubator? They would be most safe there."

She paused, that same dead look on her face. Something about what he said must have ticked her. Knock Out held his breath for a response, but only silence came for a good while. Then, Airachnid let out the breath she too was holding.

_"They're infertile."_

What? Knock Out was glad he didn't spout his confused musings aloud, only to agitate the already upset spider.

_How could she lay infertile eggs?_ He thought eggs were only produced if they were fertile, otherwise they wouldn't grow at all. His mind wandered to possibilities, perhaps a malfunctioning reproduction system, or an incompatible donor tricking the frame.

There were many possibilities and conundrums, but Knock Out kept being reminded of certain species of avian he'd encountered on Earth, trying to relate them in a way.

He had to choose his next words carefully, swallowing with a nervous energy he only gets when being around their Decepticon warlord. Airachnid was easy to offend, but she wasn't in a position to fight back, which brought him a lot of discomfort.

"...how long has this been happening?"

Silence again, contemplating silence. He stuck to the right path, watching as the femme starting shifting dirt over her clutch once again.

_"As long as I can remember."_

Apprehension filled his circuits, curious to know more but still in doubt of her compliance. However, Knock Out understood Airachnid was not finished. Astonished and wondering, he eagerly awaited, trying to fix his appearance as his patient spoke.

_"No one had ever given me an explanation for this or my creation, my whole life I assumed I was built for the sole purpose of pumping out sparkling. It was the only logical solution."_

Knock Out stared on sadly, jotting down his observations in a mental notepad while acknowledging her solemnity. It was a very jarring idea, being built specifically for one task, especially something as grotesque as a breeder.

He knew he shouldn't feel sorry for Airachnid, her actions were being paid full with the strange bodily function. She was anything but innocent, proving time and time again of her treachery and mischief.

But seeing anyone with total defeat and desperation stretched on their faceplates, no matter how much you hate them, will bring something out of you. Knock Out prayed he was not the only one with that ideology, it made him feel a little weak just for having pity for another Decepticon.

It was difficult bringing himself into a better mindset, watching Airachnid continue to bury her creations in somber. 

"...I, have you tried seeking a way to pause the conceiving process? I'm no professional in that department but-"

_"I have."_

Oh. Knock Out flinched at the sudden harsh words, regretting expressing genuine. The dark cavern fell even colder as Airachnid's body heat evaporated.

_"No medic has ever found a way to stop it, not without removing my gestation entirely."_ She stopped, pursing her lips together in an unknown emotion.

_"At first, the idea was enamouring. I had never planned on having sparklings, anything to get rid of the yearly humiliation and pain. But now, it is more challenging._

_"It's as if a part of me is still considering sparklings after all this time. With how quickly our race is depleting, perhaps the consideration is not unfounded."_

He never thought about it like that. Airachnid looked to him, the regular stern face finally coming to fruition, demanding his utmost attention. 

_"I meant what I said about slaughtering you if you tell anyone."_

For some reason, he smiled. Realizing Airachnid must be feeling cornered from spilling such sensitive thoughts.

She was done covering the eggs in the soil, spider legs touching the top to make the surface look more natural. Kneeling over her work, she exhaled sharply in adjustment. Knock Out put away his medical materials, eyeing the anesthetic patch cautiously before acknowledging.

"Can you stand?"

Airchnid turned away, grunting in affirmation as her legs kneaded the ground and pushed down, extending her up in assistance. She must've be very tired from the overloads and strain, but still put up a fight to get upright.

Knock Out followed, catching a shameful glimpse of her bared array, still wide and stretched beyond relief. It would take a while before it returned to normal, he never really enjoyed the feeling of a stretched valve when there wasn't something inside, it was near uncanny.

She stumbled, Knock Out caught her on reflex. He could feel the embarrassment radiating against him, but she made no attempt to back away, or mock for that matter. Instead, she just stood there, taking in her situation as he didn't know where to put his servos.

Goodness, he never realized how small Airachnid was. Arcee was one tiny Autobot and he'd always assumed her Decepticon counterpart was of a bigger size. The day had come where he would admit a wrong.

"Do you need me to carry you?"

The words fell from his vocalizer, he heard a humoured snort from the femme in retaliation. She peered up with a toothy grin, only to realize the doctor had been dead serious.

Her gaze shifted around, propping herself from Knock Out's body as she stood up alone. That same smugness protruded from her field.

_"Actually, that would be nice."_

Smirking, he easily picking up the little bot's body from the cave floor, spider legs folding against her back now that she had a new support. Trying to give some shame, he put her into a bridal carry, head pressed up against his light.

"Still want me to carry you?" She rolled her optics.

_"The only thing that will be more humiliating than this trying to explain my absence to Megatron."_

Oh right. He'd completely forgotten about the time restraints, wondering aimlessly if that hopeless battle was still going on. Just thinking about it gave him a helmache, Megatron would be angry regardless, still in agitation of a loss.

"Well, I hope you come up with an explanation soon!"

Now she really growled back, making him laugh nervously. The cave was more unsettling now that he became more aware of it, the sooner they got back the better, though the darkness outside would be unchanged.

Vents rumbling, he stepped forward, legs exhausted from sitting still. It wouldn't be long before they adjusted, and they exited the Energon mine. Airachnid presence was strange in that it didn't tense him like it usually did, maybe because of her odd predicament. Still, it both bothered and amused him.

The sky had cleared quite a bit, stars were visible among the deep blue of Earth's atmosphere. He breathed in, and out, Airachnid's body extending with each chest movement.

He opened a private com, looking down at the spider in his arms, interested as she stared off into the distant forest.

_:Soundwave, can you get me a bridge? I'm kind of in the middle of nowhere:_

Somehow, he could hear the emotionless mech sigh at his request. It was only a klik later than the green swirls of the groundbridge appeared before them, lighting the forest floor with vibrancy.

He silently thanked their local spymech, and tried to come up with a good excuse for the both of them as he strutted into the groundbridge's expanse. Hopefully, Megatron's scolding wouldn't involve the finish.

**Author's Note:**

> Do I write knock out too nice? Canonically he's no better than Airachnid but we all love goody twoshoes doctor ko at some point
> 
> Thanks for read and comment and kudos if you enjoy :)


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